Govt considering inclusion of informal labourers in EOBI: Bukhari

ISLAMABAD: Ehsaas Labour Welfare and Social protection Group has recommended the registration of informal workers with Employees Old-Age Benefit Institution (EOBI) in a bid to give them pension, social security and welfare packages like formal’s.

The initiative is to be taken as the part of ‘Mazdoor Ka Ehsaas Programme’ and a survey will be carried out to develop a complete and accurate database of the informal labour sector, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari told media.

The ‘programme’, recently launched by Prime Minister Imran Khan for poverty alleviation and socio-economic well-being of working class sector, he said, was meant to acknowledge the matchless contribution of the workers and emigrants towards national development in an inclusive way.

Zulfkiar said social protection and welfare of domestic as well as overseas workers was the hallmark of this policy and the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran khan was striving hard to uplift the living standards of lower class.

The Special Assistant pointed out that around 0.38 million workers were only registered with EOBI and a sizeable section of labour community, working in agriculture and construction sector, was still naïve to their rights, besides lacking access to the welfare packages including health, education and housing.

He said the labour expert group was working on various initiatives and reviewing the legislative designs to ensure the welfare, safety and protection of this segment of the society at provincial and federal level.

Highlighting the initiatives for overseas Pakistani workers under the programme, Zulfikar Bukhari said his ministry was also planning to increase the number and role of Worker’s Welfare Attachés to make sure quick redressal of the expatriates’ grievances abroad.

The Special Assistant said the Prime Minister has also instructed the overseas ministry to ensure the 100 per cent pre departure briefings and bio-metric verification of intending emigrants in order to inform them about their rights and entitlements, besides avoiding their exploitation at the hands of fraudulent elements.